Abrus
Paternoster pea ( Abrus precatorius )
Abrus is the only plant genus of the tribe Abreae within the legume family ( Fabaceae ). This genus comes with about 17 species in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World.
Description
Appearance and leaves
The Abrus species are shrubs that grow mostly klimmend or with overhanging branches. The arranged alternate, stalked leaves are imparipinnate, with many pairs of leaflets. The Blattrhachis ends with a bristle. There are no stipules present.
Inflorescences and flowers
In a terminal or pendent, racemose inflorescences each total number of flowers are borne in frets then part inflorescences. The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and fünfzählig double perianth. The five sepals are fused, trimmed with short calyx teeth. The corolla has the typical structure of a butterfly blossom. The nailed, egg-shaped plume is more or less fused with the stamens. The wings are narrow sickle-shaped to oblong. There are only nine stamens present. The stamens are fused together and the anthers are all the same. The single carpel contains many ovules. The stylus is bald.
Fruit and seeds
The flattened, zweifächerigen legumes are chambered, but do not disintegrate into individual sections and contain several seeds. The nearly spherical to ellipsoidal seeds have a shiny, sometimes brightly colored surface.
Systematics and distribution
The genus Abrus occurs in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World. Seven to nine species occur in Africa and only five species in Madagascar.
The first publication of the genus name Abrus took place in 1763 by Michel Adanson in Familles des Plantes, 2, 327, 511 type species is Abrus precatorius L.. The genus Abrus is the only genus of the tribe Abreae in the subfamily of the Fabaceae ( Faboideae ) within the family legumes ( Fabaceae ). The Tribe Abreae was published by John Hutchinson in The Genera of Flowering Plants, 1, 1964, p 451 and based on the Latin publication of Abrinae: Wight & Arn. ex Endl. gene. Pl, 1840, p 1301.
There are about 17 Abrus species ( here indicating their home areas ):
- Abrus aureus R.Vig. The home is Madagascar.
- Abrus baladensis Thulin: The home is Somalia.
- Abrus bottae Deflers: The home is Saudi Arabia, Yemen.
- Abrus canescens Baker: The home is Africa: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gambia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zaire.
- Abrus diversifoliatus Breteler: The home is Madagascar.
- Abrus Wight & Arn fruticulosus. The home is India, Indonesia, Java and the Philippines.
- Abrus gawenensis Thulin: The home is Somalia.
- Abrus laevigatus E.Mey. The home is South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland.
- Abrus longibracteatus Labat: The home is Laos and Vietnam.
- Abrus madagascariensis R.Vig. The home is Madagascar.
- Abrus parvifolius ( R.Vig. ) Verdc. The home is Madagascar.
- Paternoster pea ( Abrus precatorius L.): With several subspecies, it has a wide distribution in Africa, Australia and Asia. It is an invasive plant in many tropical countries.
- Abrus pulchellus Thwaites: With several subspecies, it has a wide distribution in Asia: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines. Locality data are also available for Madagascar, Africa and Brazil.
- Abrus sambiranensis R.Vig. The home is Madagascar.
- Abrus schimperi Baker: The home is Africa: Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
- Abrus somalensis Taub. The home is Somalia.
- Abrus wittei Baker f: The home is Zaire.
Swell
- Bojian Bao (包 伯 坚) & Michael G. Gilbert: Abreae in the Flora of China, Volume 10, 2010, pp. 194 pdf online. (Section Description and systematics)
- Robert Hegnauer: chemotaxonomy of plants, Volume XIB -2, Springer, 2001 ISBN 3-7643-5862-9. Online at Google Books. ( Abreae: page 161-168 )